Fixes and Workarounds for Common Issues in the Windows 10 Anniversary Update

Some users are experiencing issues with Windows 10 Anniversary Update across several areas. The article is divided into sections focusing on Installation and Activation, Desktop and File Explorer, Drivers, Store, Networking, and Applications. This article is not exhaustive, but if you are experiencing a problem, you are not seeing a solution for, leave a message in the comments or join us on the Windows 10 Forum.

Installation and Activation

When will Microsoft Stop Issuing Updates for Windows 10 1511?

Microsoft will continue to patch Windows 10 1511 for an additional six months.

How Can I Prevent the Installation of the Windows 10 Anniversary Update?

When you decide to install the Windows 10 Anniversary Update, enable the Windows Update service using the same steps.

Will I need to create a new recovery drive?

Yes, you will need to recreate the recovery drive after each revision of Windows 10; since your previous recovery drive, media would contain older reinstall files.

Upgrade Error 0x80070057

The initial version of the Windows 10 Upgrade Assistant had minor issues; recent revisions should resolve this problem. Try downloading a fresh copy then try again. If the problem persists, try the following workarounds.

The error is normally associated with limited space; you need to free up at least 16 GBs of disk space.

If you have an external hard disk or USB thumb drive with 32 GBs or more free space, connect it then power it on. Click the option Choose another drive or attach an external drive with 10.0 GB available.

Click in the list box then choose the drive with 10 GBs or more space. If the storage device does not show up, click Refresh then try again. After selecting, click the Back

Disk Controller: The Current Active Partition is Compressed

This error can occur for many reasons.

The error is sometimes associated with limited space; you need more than 12 GBs on the system drive, you can try freeing up at least 16 GBs available.

Open This PC, right click the system drive then uncheck compress drive.

This error code appears when there is a problem with the USB device you’re using or possibly some files are missing or got corrupted while downloading. Restart the computer then try again to see if it works. You can also try a different USB port, if you are using a USB 3 port, try switching to a USB 2 port instead. If the problem persists, try using the ISO file instead.

If you are attempting to upgrade to Windows 10 Enterprise in a managed environment, old WSUS settings might block the update. Try removing the following registry key then try again. You should backup your registry before making any modifications.

HKLM\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsUpdate

Error Code of 80070490 When Attempting Upgrade to Windows 10 KN Edition using the Update Assistant

If I try to install the Anniversary Update from the Software Download website, there is no KN edition offered.

There was a known issue that was causing the Windows Update Assistant to fail with error 80070490 when trying to install the Anniversary Update on Windows 10 KN Editions. This issue was fixed recently, so if you encountered this error before August 17th, please try again.

If you install the Anniversary Update from the Software Download website, the Software Download site won’t offer a KN edition, but you can still install the Anniversary Update by selecting the Windows 10 K Edition. Source

Windows is not Activated Error Code 0x803F7001

If your previous installation was not activated, you would need to purchase a genuine license. Go to the Store and buy genuine Windows. You can also try contacting chat support:

Try signing in with your Microsoft Account, give it some time and it should activate automatically.

Startup, Desktop and File Explorer

Bitlocker Screen is Orange with White Lines

Updating to Windows 10 version 14393.82 should resolve this problem, if you have not installed it yet, you can try the following command.

Press Windows key + X

Click Command Prompt (Admin)

At the command prompt, type the following commands then hit Enter after each:

BCDEDIT /v

BCDEDIT /Set {default} bootmenupolicy legacy

BCDEDIT /v

I Bought a New Computer with Windows 10, but I don’t like it.

Try installing the free Classic Shell or Start10 a 30-day free trial for $4.99. You can also consider returning the computer then purchase one preinstalled with Windows 7. You can also review instructions how to downgrade a computer preinstalled with Windows 10 to Windows 7.

Strange User Account folders ‘Default.migrated’ and ‘DefaultAllPool’ show up under Users folder

These are temporary folders that are used to facilitate the migration of personal files, applications, and settings to Windows 10. They are not important and can be deleted, or you can just leave them alone.

Many users report experiencing a Black screen when booting up or after log in. Waiting a bit to see if Windows 10 startup progresses is worth a try; waiting about 10 minutes should work. If you are experiencing the Black Screen after logging in, log out then restart in Safe Mode.

After safely logging into Safe Mode, uninstall the following apps if you have them installed:

Stardock’s Windows Blinds.

Log Me In

Third party Antivirus utility such as Norton, McAfee, etc.

Uninstall KB3176937

If you don’t have any of the above installed, try uninstalling your current Display Adapter. Press Windows + X, Click Device Manager, expand Display Adapter, right click the current adapter ten click uninstall.

Exit device manager then follow instructions to disable automatic driver installation, restart your computer in normal mode. If you can load the Windows 10 desktop successfully, go to the manufacturer’s website for your computer then download the latest display driver for your model.

Startup Stuck on Just a Moment

Wait for 10 to 30 minutes to see if the sign in screen appears.

Service Accounts Appear on Sign in Screen

Service accounts are normally used by Microsoft Applications. You can safely ignore or delete them.

Multiple Partitions Appear in Disk Management

If you seeing multiple partitions listed in Disk Management after installing Windows 10 Anniversary Update; this could be a result of installing on a Hybrid Drive. The multiple drives should not in any way affect the behavior or performance of the system.

If you would like to remove them, try creating a recovery drive, choose the option during the recovery drive wizard to remove the recovery partition.

Partitions Missing After Installing the Anniversary Update

Microsoft has received a small number of reports of partitions not appearing in File Explorer after installing the Anniversary Update. When viewing the partition in Disk Management, it appears as RAW, unallocated space.

Microsoft is aware of this issue and is working on a solution to be released through Windows Update. Any data you have stored on the affected partition is still there. We recommend that you not try to recover or otherwise write data to the affected partition, nor should you format the partition. We will update this thread when a patch is released. If you would like to be notified when this thread is updated, click the Subscribe button at the end of this post.

For up to days 10 days after installing the Anniversary Update, Windows includes the ability to “go back” or return to the previous build if you are experiencing this issue and do not want to wait for the patch to be released.

You need to fix your Microsoft Account for apps on your other devices to be able to launch apps and continue experiences on this device.

Try switching to a to a Local Account, click Start > Settings > Accounts > Sign in with a local account instead. Follow the on-screen instructions to create the Local Account.

Restart your computer then sign in.

Launch the Store icon on the Taskbar then sign in with your Microsoft Account

Switch to a to a Local Account, click Start > Settings > Accounts > Sign in with your Microsoft account again

Windows Update Not Working or Downloading Updates

Try running the Windows Update Troubleshooter a few times to see if it corrects the problem. Press Windows + X, click Control panel. In the search box, type troubleshooter, and then click Troubleshooting. Under System and Security, click Fix problems with Windows Updates.

Windows Defender Virus Definitions Not Installing

Try launching Windows Defender from the Notification Area, then install the Updates manually. You can also try downloading definitions directly from the Malware Protection Center, then install them manually.

Software Drivers

Can’t install Drivers

If you are installing the drivers from removable media such as a thumb drive, Windows Defender might be preventing execution. It’s very vigilant when you connect external media with executable code. Try copying the drivers locally then execute from there.

If your computer came with the computer, it would likely be a trial version. If it was Office 365, it would only be for 30 days unless you had activated a subscription. If you had activated a subscription, you can sign into the Office Portal and reinstall it.

Photo Gallery or Windows Essentials not working on Windows 10 Anniversary Update

You can fix this by first installing SQL Server 2005 Compact Edition. Proceed to download the Windows Essentials offline installer, then proceed with the installation.

Start by uninstalling all Apple Software; this includes iCloud itself, iTunes, Apple Support software etc. I recommend using Revouninstaller to thoroughly remove all Apple Software. Also make sure you uninstall the Apple Software Updater too. Try installing iCloud and iTunes again.

Error 1603 when Attempting to Install Google Earth

You can first try running Microsoft’s free Fix It utility. If that does not work, uninstall any previous versions of Google Earth. I recommend you use Revouninstaller to perform a thorough uninstall, then try installing Google Earth again.

Chrome or Firefox refuses to download

If you are using Microsoft Edge to download, try switching to Internet Explorer instead. Press Windows key + R, type: iexplore.exe then hit Enter. If that does not work, try downloading the offline installer each browser:

Certainly, more issues will come along over the coming months. Some issues such as Microsoft Edge tabs not closing and Web Cams not working are on Microsoft’s radar and will be fixed at some point in the near future.

More Reading:

About Andre Da Costa

Based on the Caribbean Island of Jamaica, Andre is a Microsoft MVP since 2010 and a certified computer technician. A Senior Writer for groovyPost, Andre previously was lead review editor at ActiveWin.com and a contributor at Notebooks.com.

When I bought this machine 3 yrs. ago, it was Win.8. Then I updated to Win.8.1, and now I have Win.10. I haven’t received the Anniversary Update yet.

My question is my recovery drive D, that came on this machine is for Win.8. How can I update that recovery drive to the Win.10 Anniversary Update, when I receive it? I don’t want to take this computer back to Win.8, if I would need to use the recovery drive D. I do have a image backup external hard drive. I’m thinking of just using the MCT to update to Win.10 Update.

@Sonja….No way to upgrade “D” drive to Win10 recovery. You can, however, use a partition management tool to put a saved image of your current system on that partition. Then to recover you can point the recovery process to that image.

I know there is no way to update the “D” partition drive to Win 10. I don’t know how to “use a partition management tool” to put a saved image of my current system on that partition. I’m not very computer literate. I just know that I don’t want Win 8 there, and was told not to bother with it. Duh…I know Win 8 is there and totally useless and can’t use it. Have my doubts if this drive will be big enough for Win 10 or not. The D drive is 17.7GB and don’t Win 10 Anniv. Update on 64 bit computer need 20 GB?

Hi! I just used the MCT flash to restore to the factory Anniversary and then used a back up image to get me back up and running. Worked like a charm. I’m always preaching use a 3rd party back up image program and it paid-ed off for me. Thanks for this blog!

Prior to the Anniversary Update I was able to bypass the lock-screen. Now with the Anniversary Update (successfully) applied my boot-up reverts back to requesting my password at the lock-screen. Is that a known problem relate to the update? Thanks, Dan

Hey Andre! I’m completely confused about what I should post and what I should not post on your blogs. I just want to say I appreciate your vast knowledge. I follow your blogs religiously and I’m learning a lot. Thank you my friend! keep up the god work my friend!

Hi Andre.. interesting reading on the Windows 10 Anniversary version. I’ve just updated to it recently and now have problems with my Ethernet settings.. was using an ODBC connection to IP 192.168.74.128 prior to the Windows updates.. following the updates I’m no longer able to use this IP, connection fails. Do you have a suggestion as to which of the updates may have caused this? I don’t think it was any of the Office related updates… so I think it must be one of the Windows updates, KB3176935, KB3176937 or KB3189866. I’d like to back one update at a time to try and isolate which one is causing the issue, This is a partial output of ipconfig following the updates. No default gateway and the IPv4 address is something I haven’t seen before. thanks —————– PARTIAL IPCONFIG OUTPUT ON WINDOWS

Hi There! Here’s my thoughts while waiting for Andre. You can Google those Windows KB patches and MS will tell you what each one is for!. I know the KB 3189866 is a cumulative patch and is fairly large. It gave me a lot of grief getting it to down load! Have you tried the W10 trouble shooter to get you connected?? You might also see if there is a updated driver for your internet adapter. Groovey post has a help forum. If you click on Windows10 forum at the top of this blog, it will take you to the forum! The IPv4 preferred!

I have the black screen of boredom after anniversary update and various other features have issues including Word? Why is it necessary to uninstall McAfee to get this update to work? This is a prescribed business choice of anti virus software so leaving it off is not an option for me. Advice please?

Hi You don’t leave McAfee off. You just turn it off until the update is installed. IMHO there are a lot of anti virus better then McAfee. I suggest you join a windows help forum and post your issues. Grooveypost has a help forum. Windows10.help .

My computer is stuck in the swirling white dots on a black screen after an automatic update. I already had windows 10 installed with no problems. This update happened a week ago and I left the computer over night and the dots were still there. Had to turn off the computer and windows successfully rolled back to the prior version before the update. Now it tried again to automatically update and the dots are back. Any ideas of what I should do? The update took several hours so I hope to resolve this this time. Thanks!

Hey! Guy’s, My laptop is ASUS X205TA which has 32 GB internal and comes with pre-installed Windows 10. My win10 automatically downloaded the anniversary update. Installation of it reached to 91% and gives an error like this “Please insert another external storage and press OK!” . What to do? This is my second try to install anniversary update. Thanks!

I’m trying to install the Anniversary update, and get a message that I need to uninstall Picture Package in order to do that. When I try to uninstall Picture Package, I get a pop-up that tells me that there was a problem, to clear my Temporary file, close all running programs and check the internet connection. It indicates that Error -6003 is involved. When I follow the instructions, I still get thwe pop-up. Suggestions?.

I have spent two weeks trying to update Windows 10 to the Anniversary Edition (1607). I persistently get an Error that Windows cannot determine the space on the disk drive. I have disconnected everything from the Acer Aspire V3772G. I have increased the disk drive to 2Tb. I have increased the recovery partition to 1.7Gb. I have disabled the anti-virus (Norton or Malwarebytes), I have tried updating using the ISO file. And still, nothing works. I still get the 0x007001f and 0x00f0922 errors, reguardless of what I do. Come on Microsoft. This product was working for a year and now it refuses to update. After two weeks of trying everything I can find on the web, I still have no solution.